The No. 3 unit is one of the three reactors that suffered core meltdowns following the earthquake and tsunami disaster on
Of the plant's six reactors, the company known as
Removal of melted fuel debris at Nos. 1-3 units is another major challenge the company faces as it tries to clean up the complex in 30-40 years. The exact location of the debris in the reactors and ways to remove it have yet to be determined, with high radiation adding to the enormous difficulty of the decommissioning work.
The operator said it transported the last six fuel assemblies from the No. 3 reactor building to another pool on the complex premises at around
The reactor building of the No. 3 unit suffered severe damage following a hydrogen explosion on
At the time, 514 units of spent nuclear fuel and 52 unused ones were stored there.
The operator installed a dome-shaped cover over the reactor building to prevent the spread of radioactive materials and started the fuel removal in
Under the roadmap for decommissioning the complex compiled by
==Kyodo
© Kyodo News International, Inc., source